Brake and clutch mechanism



L473,E E5

Nov. 6 1923.

yA. C. MASON BRAKE AND CLUTCH MBCHANISM I INVENTOR @rl-)yur @Wasop rqgms l A. C. MASON BRAKE AND CLUTCH MECHANISM Nov. 6 H923.

Filed March 22 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 O EYs Illlllllllllllllllll Patenten hier. t3, i. im .entre ARTHUR C. lJ-SON, Gl?- FLENT, BEICEGAN, SSGNOR TO GENERAL `hfi'OlOt, CORPORA- maant TEN, GF DETRGT, VICHG-AN, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

BRAKE .ANE CLUTCH vl'ECHANISM.

.application filed March 22, 1920. Serial No. 367,933.

To all who-m t may concern.'

Be it known that l, ARTHUR C. MASON, a citizen oi the United States, and a resident of Flint, county of Genesee, and State of liichigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Brake and Clutch liiechanism, ot' which the 'following is a itull,

clear, concise, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which the invention lrelates to make and use the same, reference being' made-therein to the accompanyinhr drawings, which form a part ot this specification. i

The present invention relates to self-propelled vehicles, particularly tractors and imp einents oi the tractor type, wherein an internal combustion engine forms the Vpower plant. its main object being to simplify the brake, clutch and flywheel or belt pulley mechanism. In accordance therewith, an external combined iiyivheel and belt pulley utilized also as the brake drum,land a single lever is so associated therewith as to control the application of the brake and the connection and disconnection of the speed chang-ing; gearing with or from the engine. Another object is to properly correlate the )rake operating parts with those controlling he clutch so that a limited and gradual application oit the brakel may take place before the clutch hecomes disconnected; the invention also provides for convenient adjustment of the one set of operating parts in reference` to the other.

Another object is toimprove the construC; tion of the brake operating' devices.

Other improvements in the several parts will be more lully pointed out hereinafter.

ln the drawings, Fig: 1 is a side elevation, partsheinn` broken away or omitted, showine a preferred embodiment of the invention. Fig. 2 isa horizontal sectional view through the front end portion of the transmission casing, showing the relation of the brake to the belt pulley. Fin; 3 is a view on a smaller scale on the line of Figi'. 2, showing. the clutch operating device. Fig. 4 is a section on .line of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a fractional side view corresponding to Fig'. 4.

The particular tractor frame shown in the` present instance is" 'formed b v the engine casinar l and the transmission casing 1 which are bolted together and extend across from the front wheels 2 to the rear or driv ing wheels 3. rihe crank shaft appears at 4 and isarranged to be connected to or disconnected from a main transverse countershaft 5 through the medium of the clutch 6, shaft 7 (supported in af bearing 8 mounted in a cross wall 9) bevel pinion 10, and bevel gear 11 keyed on the transverseI shaft 5. The latter also carries slidable gears 12-13 adapted to drive the built up gear 14 which is constantly connected tothe rear axle. The clutch 6 may be of 'any suitable construction, that shown being of the disc type, the parts ot which are normally*spring-coupled together when the yoke or lever arm 15 and yoke or rock shaft 16 are permitted to swing clockwise, Fig. 3, as is usual in such constructions, and being free from one another when said yoke and shaft 16 are manually swung to the limit of their movement in the opposite direction. The shaft 16 has its end carried in a boss 20 on the transmission casing 1, Fig. 4, from which it projects on the outer side. TheV shaft 5 likewise projects from the transmission casing, and keyed thereon is a combined flywheel. belt-pulley and brake-drum 22, the rim 22 of which preferably runs close to the projection of the rock shaft 16, Fig. 2.

In the operation of' tractors it is highly desirable that the engine be disconnected from the speed changing mechanism when the brake is fully applied, andfor the pur pose of insuring this operation through the medium of a single control lever I prefer the devices best shown in Figs. 4 and 5, although other equivalent constructions might be used. Referring thereto, it will be seen that the projecting end of the rock shaft 16 has keyed thereon an arm. 24 to which the brake lever`25 is pivoted at 26.` This lever is provided with a curved surface 27 for engagement with the end 28 of a foot lever 29, preferably of flat stock, which is pivotedto the transmission casing at 30 and which extends backwardly below the axle to form a pedal 31 for the .toot of a driver on a seat 32. Proiecting laterally from the lever 25 is an army 34 that terminates in a guide boss 35 wherein the spindle 36 of a brake shoe 37 is slidable, under the influence of a spring 38, toward the inner or brakingsurface ofthe pulley or brake drum, this movement preferably being, radial to said surface. Therefore, when pressure is applied to thepedal 31, the lever 25 tends to turn counterclockwise, Fig.

member '24 with the extension l0 at an obtuse angle thereto and thread the lever to receive 'the screw 42 which may be locked inadjusted position by the nut 4:3, so that the first action, as the lever 29 is deV pressed, is tovresiliently apply the brake,

after which the screw 41 strikes theV eXten-.

sion l0l 'and causes theclutch 6 by a delayed action to set the shaft 7 free from the crank shaft 4. When the pedal is released `the clutch spring togetherwith the spring 88 A causes a reversal of this operation, automaticall'y connecting the shaft 7 to the engine and freeing the brake'shoe from the pulley 22. In order to permit ease of assembly and removal of parts, the arms 15g-24C may be in the form of split castings which may be tightened on the shaft 16 by the bolts lle- .as-shown.

The device described are inexpensive, positive in operation, easily accessible for adjust-` 'inent or repair, yand afford a Ysimplified control of the operating parts. The use of the belt pulley as a brake drum, moreover., reduces Vweight and provides an unusually rugged construction. The actual construe-- tion of the rseveral elements is, of course, susceptible ofv'ariatiforn and I do not, there fcre, wish to be` limited 'except as indicated ,by the subjoined claims.

v I claim: c c q1. A self propelled vehicle including a main frame embodying an engine casing and a transmission casing rigidly connected togcther, a crankshaft in `theengine casing, i a main shaft, a clutch for connecting the mainshaftto the crank shaft at will, lan oscillating clutchv operating shaft for operating said clutch, a flywheel external to' the transmission casing and driven by the main shaft, brake means associated with saidflyy wheel and supported by said clutch operating shaft, and a single lever for operating both thel brake means and the clutch operat ing shaft aforesaid whereby' the clutch is actuated todisconnect said shafts as 4the vlci'fake is applied to the flywheel. 2. In a self propelled vehicle, a transmission gearing, acasing therefor, a countershaftvprojecti'ng therefrom, a b elt 4pulley on said eountershaft externally of thecasing, -a rockshafthousedin the casing and projecting therefrom adjacent the rimV ,of the Vbelt pulley, an arin fixed to the projecting end of the roclrsliaft, a brake lever Vpivoted on the arm, abrake shoe guided by said lever for movement toward vand V'fromthe rim of the pulley,:a spring tending'to swingf the lever away from the rim,a clutch within the Vcasing for Vcontrolling said gearing and operable ybythe rock shaft, the parts being the pivot without disconnecting the clutch` and` so that the clutch is thereafter' disconnected by a further movement of said lever. 1. 3. In a self propelled vehicle, a transmis sion casing, an oscillating Vclutch operating 'shaft and a countershaft prejecti'ng fromV rsaid casing, a belt pulley carried by the counter-shaft externally ofthe casing, a lever arm carried bysaid clutch operating shaft and located .externally of the casing and close to the'` inner surface of the -riin of said beltvpulley, and through which lever said 'whole is Adriven from the inain shaft, a belt pulley on the projectingend of the counter- .shaft serving as a brake drum, a rock shaft projecting from the casing for operating the clutch, a springfpressed brake carried'byv said rock shaft and movable toward the rim of the belt pulley independently ofthe rock shaftl to gradually press the brakeagainst i the pulley through aspring and which spring permits a limited application of the brake before the clutch is actuated by the rock shaft to free the gearing from the main shaft and tends te cause the clutch to again Vclutch operating shaft may be operated, aVVV connect the gearing` to the main shaft before j the brake is released, operating means for said brake, and means whereby said rock shaft is operated by said brake operating 5. In a self'propelled vehicle having a rear ping said drum, and a' single lever extend-V ing,.backwardly below the rear axle for operating said brake land clutch.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

ARTHUR C,-MA`SON. 

